- About the 2nd Duke of Gandia, see Borgia, Giovanni , about his son - Borja, Juan de
Giovanni Borgia ( 1498 - 1547/1549 ) - a mysterious representative of the Borgia family, who bore the titles of the Duke of Nepi and Prince Camerino . In view of the confusion with fatherhood (and motherhood), Giovanni was nicknamed "the child of Rome" ( infans Romanus ).
Giovanni Borgia | |
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Origin
He was probably the illegitimate child of Lucretia Borgia . Lucrezia's father, Pope Alexander VI , with whom, according to rumors, she was in love, three years after his birth issued two bullae:
- In the bullet of September 1, 1501 , the son of Cesare Borgia was named the father of the child, and his mother - "an unknown and unmarried lady."
- In the second bull, published on the same day, but kept secret for a long time, the pontiff called Giovanni his own son from an unmarried woman, not named by name.
The bulletin stipulated that the child has the right of inheritance and ownership in relation to the property of the Borgia family. Just on the day of the publication of the bull, the final preparations for the marriage between Lucretia and the son of the Duke of Ferrara, Alfonso I d'Este, were completed and her name had to be cleared of gossip.
The confusion of the situation around the fatherhood of Giovanni led his contemporaries to the idea that he was born as a result of an incestuous relationship in the Borgia family. Meanwhile, shortly before the birth of the child, it became known about the relationship of Lucretia and Pedro Caldes (Perotto), the papal chamber. In February 1498 , Perotto's body was caught from the Tiber , and a month later Giovanni was born. Thus, from a purely chronological point of view, the version of Perotto's fatherhood seems preferable.
Cesare became close to Giovanni and took care of him until Giovanni left for Ferrara to Lucretia in early 1501. Of the cities conquered by Cesare, Camerino was allocated to him for feeding. The child was considered the son of Cesare until the death of the latter. Then Lucretia raised him in Ferrara, officially he was considered her brother. Then the secret bull of 1501, confirming the paternity of Alexander VI , was made public .
Childhood
In addition to the secrets of his origin, Giovanni Borgia has left no noticeable trace in history. On September 17, 1501, the pope secured for him land plots seized from ancient Roman nobles, including the Column . On September 2, 1502, the title of Prince Camerino was assigned to Giovanni. After the death of Alexander VI in 1503, the rights of the child to Camerino and Nepi were called into question. He served in the papal curia and at the court of the French king, in vain trying to gain recognition of these territories.
In the literature
- The image of the Roman infante is deduced in the historical novel of the Dutch writer Hella Haasse "Purple City" (1952).
- Giovanni also appears in Mario Puzo’s novel The Family (another translation is First Don).